Gardeners often lack enough area for all of the vegetables, berries, herbs, and flowers they would like to grow. They often have less than a few hundred square feet for growing. They must use floor space as efficiently as possible.
The present invention provides a way to increase the gardening area in yards without sacrificing recreational space. The present invention is a structural unit for growing plants in minimal space, increasing average yield by 800% per square yard of floor space.
Once grown out the present invention looks like a lush green column, with plants and flowers growing in vertically stacked sections. The known origins of the present invention started with Frantisek Klabik, in the Czech Republic. The present invention represents a refinement of the original works of Frantisek Klabik.
The Klabik devices were hand hewn out of wood. The present invention provides gardeners pre-fabricated modular units which can be easily assembled and disassembled.
The present invention increases floor space garden yield by an average of 800%. One unit covers 1 to 1.5 square feet of ground space. In a six foot tall unit, one can grow:
80 lettuce or cabbage plants, PA1 or 130 kohlrabi or yam plants, PA1 or 30 to 40 cauliflower plants, PA1 or 22 to 44 pounds of onion, PA1 or 11 to 22 pounds of garlic, PA1 or 55 to 110 pounds of tomato, PA1 or 11 to 22 pounds of bell pepper.
Depending on weather conditions and timing, a six foot unit can yield as much as 17 to 25 square feet of garden space.
Although the average increase in yield for a six foot unit is 800% this varies from plant to plant. Yams, for example, are generally planted about a foot apart, which would give roughly 12 yams per square yard (including path space). The present invention covers about a square yard (including path space) and can yield 130 yams. This quantity would take more than 8 square yards in a conventional garden. The harvest is, therefore, increased by 800%.
Units can be designed to suit unique locations. Threefoot modular sections can be stacked to any height. A 9 or 12 foot high unit can increase the yield of a given floor space by 2000% to 3000%. However, it might be difficult to tend plants at such a height.
The present invention can increase the total planting area inside of a greenhouse by 100% to 200%. By placing units six feet apart in a greenhouse, the overall planting area can be increased without creating excessive areas of partial shade. Areas shaded by the units do not prevent growth of plants on the ground even during spring. In the summer months, some shade actually benefits these plants.
Units can be placed in barren, rocky and sloped areas, where growing would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Full productivity is not dependent on the local terrain. Terracing removing rocks and improving ground soil fertility are unnecessary.
The present invention decreases weed growth by 90% without the use of chemical herbicides. Cultivation of annual plants is often associated with the time-consuming, never-ending task of weeding. Because of its unique construction, the present invention reduces weed growth from planting time through the harvest. Weeds can only grow in the small outer rim of each section. During the first two months of growth, weeding a unit three or four times is more than sufficient. The weeds are still small and the growing medium is very light, so their removal is quick and easy. Later in the season, the density of plant growth inhibits additional weeds from developing.
The present invention teaches an organic growing technique. Typically when converting from commercial to organic growing methods, it can take years to detoxify the soil and increase the content of its organic matter. With the present invention, however, plants can be cultivated organically right from the start without sacrificing quality or productivity.
The present invention allows most gardening work to be performed while standing. Gardeners who spend hundreds of hours kneeling or bent over in the garden will appreciate this fact. The present invention is "user-friendly" to older gardeners and handicapped gardeners. Working on a unit is also easier because the plants are visible and accessible from all sides.
A single unit can grow a great variety of plants, including all kinds of vegetables, flowers, strawberries, herbs and even potatoes. Older methods of cultivation were often limited to a specific type of plant. The present invention also lends itself to the cultivation of companion plants and polycultures.
The vertical flower pots create "microclimates" on the different sides of each unit. Sun-loving plants such as tomatoes and basil thrive on the south side of each section, while lettuce and other cooler season crops prefer the north side. Thus, the present invention allows each plant to be put in its most favorable niche.
The present invention teaches the efficient use of resources. The flower pots utilize composted soil, water, and soil amendments economically and effectively by concentrating these substances right where they are needed, close to plant roots.
When one spreads two wheelbarrows of compost over ten square yards of garden, one increases the compost content of the soil by just a slight margin. By using the same amount of compost in the present invention, one immediately increases the ratio of compost to soil by 50%.
Similarly, when one waters a garden, the water tends to percolate down below the reach of many plant roots. This water also carries vital nutrients away from where they are needed in the topsoil, and may eventually cause salting in the subsoil layer. With the present invention all the water and nutrients applied go directly to the plant roots.
The configuration of the vertical flower pots also allows the plants to get maximum ventilation. This increases contact of the leaves with carbon dioxide, thus facilitating photosynthesis thereby and increasing plant growth.
The present invention eliminates crop damage from mice and other ground dwelling pests.
The present invention requires very little maintenance. The units are productive for up to three years without replacing the growing medium. One can save time and hard work in preparing a garden, digging, hoeing, weeding, and caring from the soil.